WulinSects

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Contents 1 Ancient Tomb Sect 2 Beggars Sect 3 Emei Sect 4 Evil Cult 5 Kun Lun Sect 6 Shaolin Temple 7 Wudang Clan 8 Yellow Scarves 9 Minor Sects

[edit] Ancient Tomb Sect

• Leader: Outside the sect the tomb is known only as the home of "Little Dragon Girl" (Face 2), who is considered a dangerous martial artist, but is fiercely jealous of her privacy and has no dealings with the world outside the tomb.
• Martial Arts: Night Breeze and Even Blade (the variant ending in Loving Heart Stance). The martial arts of the Ancient Tomb are graceful and elegant, with exemplary lightfoot techniques, but also incorporate unchivalrous methods such as surprise attacks and poison.
• Philosophy: A pragmatic sect dedicated to advancing their own martial arts knowledge, the Ancient Tomb studies Taoist teachings but only from an applied "essence science" perspective.
• History: The history of Ancient Tomb Sect is a mystery to those outside the sect, as the members of the sect rarely travel in the outside world. However, their possession of a form of Even Blade kung fu and close physical proximity to Wudan suggest a historical link of some kind to that sect.
• Attitudes:
  1. Evil Cult: We have no dealings with them, but we doubt they can be quite as bad as the so-called "orthodox" sects say.
  2. Shaolin: We have no dealings with them, but because of their relationship to Wudang we're inclined to think of them as potential rivals.
  3. Wudang: We have the better kung fu and they envy us for it, that is why they disdain us or call us unorthodox when they talk of us at all.

[edit] Beggars Sect

• Leader: Nine Finger Divine Beggar Hong (Face 4) is the current leader of the Beggars Sect. He is reknowned as a gourmand who driven above all to seek out the finest restaurants and chefs in the Han lands, and treasures a perfectly prepared meal over all else. He is called "Nine Finger" because once he failed to show up at an important battle because word of it reached him while he was dining and he was unwilling to leave his meal. When he saw the outcome of his failure to appear he was so remorseful he severed one of his own fingers in apology.
• Martial Arts: First Pulse is the traditional martial arts of the Beggar Sect. However, Nine Finger Hong is extremely lazy about training his disciples and so other than him no single member of the Sect has complete mastery of the style. He never goes further than imparting a stance or two here and there when he feels like it. Most members of Beggars Sect carry a simple walking staff, of the kind normal beggars carry to drive off hungry stray dogs, and so for this reason their kung fu is also known as "Dog-Beating Stick Skill".
• Philosophy: The Beggar's Sect are extremely pragmatic in all of their affairs, including training, and teach no religious philosophies.
• History: The Beggar Sect is actually much older than it looks, they actually go back almost three centuries. In addition to the martial arts which have been handed down from master to disciple over the generations there is also a traditional weapon, the staff that is literally named "Dog Beating Stick", that is passed down to the master of each generation. They move around a lot but currently Divine Beggar Hong bases himself out of the North so they concentrate in the North of the Han the most. All members of the sect are required to dress as beggars to disguise their comings and comings, and they have a complex intelligence network that keeps Hong appraised of everything happening in the lands. (Easy to do since their dress code makes them blend into the urban environments of the Han.)
• Attitudes:
  1. Emei: They should spend less energy stirring up shit in the Wulin and try to work together on the Marukani problem.
  2. Evil Cult: Instead of fighting them ourselves we should be using them as the front line in the fight against the Marukani.
  3. Marukani: The most important thing is to safeguard the native Han people, the second most important thing is to drive out the Marukani so that the oppression can be ended.
  4. Shaolin: They can claim to be the head of the Wulin but that is bullshit. The leadership of the Wulin is whoever is innovating and creating new styles, and Shaolin has not created anything new in hundreds of years.
  5. Wudang: In terms of martial arts, they are the true leading sect of the Wulin, creating an impressive new art. But, they are too reticent about involving themselves in the affairs of the nation. We need their help against the Marukani.
  6. Yellow Scarves: They seem to have the good of the common people at heart and they are native Han, not like the Evil Cult. They should be accepted as full members of the Wulin.

[edit] Emei Sect

• Leader: Priestess No Mercy (Face 4), an Earth aspected Dragonblood who is truly terrifying in battle. Her name derives from her hard-line attitude toward heretic sects, who she insists must be removed from the Wulin by extermination of all their members. She holds a particular hatred for the Evil Cult, possibly for personal reasons in addition to them being the worst heretics in the Wulin.
• Martial Arts: Five Dragon and Golden Janissary; plus training in the Exalted Immaculate Dragon styles is available to Dragon-blooded members. The Terrestrial level martial arts of the Emei are very much like Shaolin but focus more on complex manuevering and less on directing raw external force.
• Philosophy: Hardline Immaculism. Elements of applied Taoist science have worked their way into their curriculum but the reject the religious elements, being totally dedicated to Immaculate philosophy. Priestess No Mercy is fanatical about enforcing both the tenets of the Immaculate Order and the other codes of the abbey that stem from the Han cultural attitudes. For instance sexual misconduct (ie pretty much any sexual conduct) by the Emei nuns is punishable by execution in order to protect the reputation of the sect.
• History: The abbey at Emei goes back over five hundred years in the history of the Han, to back when the Immaculate Order first established itself in the land of the Han. The "sister school" to Shaolin, Emei trains the female Immaculate monks of the land, since cultural attitudes prohibit the establishment of a mixed sex temple.
• Attitudes:
  1. Beggar Sect: They're rough and disreputable and not what we think a sect of Wulin should be like, but they're not exactly heretical per se. As long as they obey the codes of errantry we will treat them like fellow members of the Wulin.
  2. Evil Cult: The worst of the heretic sects, they need to be wiped off the map. Unforgivable enemies.
  3. Kun Lun: They are not Immaculate but they observe the proprieties and are willing to join us in the fight against the heretic sects. In the Wulin of Han where not everyone has to be Immaculate, they can be considered "orthodox".
  4. Marukani: We can deal with the problem of the Marukani oppressors after we've cleaned out the bad elements from the Wulin. Overthrowing the Marukani is no good if that will just bring the Evil Cult or the Yellow Scarves to power.
  5. Shaolin: Our mirror image in Immaculate orthodoxy, the two of us are the bar which the other sects need to measure up to.
  6. Wudang: They practice the Immaculate philosophy, respect the leadership of the Shaolin and the traditions of the Wulin, so they can be considered an "orthodox" sect. They have a valued place in the Wulin.
  7. Yellow Scarves: A heretic sect, their growing influence is dangerous. But they are a secondary priority behind dealing with the Evil Cult.

[edit] Evil Cult

• Leader: The former leader of the cult was assasinated in the last few years. Now the cult is leaderless and divided, splitting into factions led by his former officers. The most powerful of his former officers were known as the Four Kings (called the Four Freaks by those outside the cult). The King of Purple Dragon (Face 4) was the most powerful but also the most mysterious. The King of Gold Lion (Face 4) was the next most powerful and his whereabouts are also unknown. The King of White Eagle (Face 4), after the assasinated, founded his own clan called Sky-Eagle Clan with the portion of the cult that was within his control. The least powerful of the Four Kings is King of Green Bat (Face 3) who is attempting to reunite the fragmented remains of the cult and find a new leader who can command the respect of the Four Kings and all of the other sub officers of the cult.
• Martial Arts: Falling Blossom, some members of the cult train in order to serve as bodyguards to the higher officials of the cult, and some train to be fearless and ferocious assault troops. The Four Kings each have their own personal, more powerful martial arts styles but they do not deign to teach them.
• Philosophy: Their beliefs are not very well understood outside of the cult, but they are considered to be worshippers of demons and Anathema. In actuality, they are a splinter sect of the Cult of the Illuminated, who worship the Unconquered Sun in the form of a great cleansing Holy Fire. Their name for themselves is the "Holy Fire Cult" or the "Ming Cult" or when they want to emphasize their military action against the Marukani, the "Ming Rebels". They believe creation is a war between good and evil and that all of Creation is a trap by the forces of evil intended to contain the Holy Fire. And other such crazy notions.
• History: The Evil Cult's presence in the Han lands is roughly two hundred years old, but they claim to be merely a branch of a society from the East that is over a thousand years old. For most of their existence they have been a hidden, underground cult, but since the Marukani conquest they have started to swell in size and attract the support of the common folk, as they are leading a popular rebellion. Before the assasination of the last leader, it was common for pockets of the Han land here and there to be openly under rule by the Evil Cult instead of the Marukani government. While their heresy is condemned by most in the Wulin, the common people are split almost evenly on seeing them as heretics or the best hope of saviors from the Marukani.
• Attitudes:
  1. Beggar Sect: If they are willing to cooperate with us in chasing out the Marukani then they are all right in our book.
  2. Emei: We just want to be part of the Wulin and help chase out the Marukani, but there are some people it is obvious that we will never be able to really make peace with.
  3. Marukani: We exist to serve the common people of the Han by ridding them of the Marukani oppression!
  4. Shaolin: We have no feud with Shaolin but they insist on looking down on us. Well, it probably wouldn't hurt for them to get taken down off their high horse a little.
  5. Wudang: The Wudang are almost as sanctimonious and judgmental as the Shaolin. We know they are all right at heart but it wouldn't hurt to show them up a little too.
  6. Yellow Scarves: They seem to have the good of the people at heart but they are obviously under the dominion of one of the local Gods. If they should succeed in their designs then the Han will never be from of oppression from the divine. Next to the Marukani they are the biggest threat.

[edit] Kun Lun Sect

• Leader: Iron Harp Ho Tsai (Face 3) is the current leader of the Kun Lun. He is considered to be a lesser martial artist than many of his predecessors but is still to be feared. He has the reputation of being more of a politician than a fighter, and is always seeking to gain face for his sect in the Wulin by charming and manipulating other sect heads. Of course, he could not hold the leadership of a major sect without being a highly ranked fighter so one shouldn't make too many assumptions on this reputation. It is rumored that in addition to Kun Lun's style he knows some of the martial arts of the other clans.
• Martial Arts: Crimson Pentacle Blade (with the Central Noble Honor Blade Posture) is the ages old style of the Kun Lun sect. Like Even Blade it is focused around the combination and interplay of the five elements, which is the sure sign of a martial art rooted in the Taoist philosophies.
• Philosophy: The Kun Lun are a Taoist sect. They believe not just in Taoist theories of geomancy and alchemy, but in the associated Thousand Gods heresy of appeasing various local deities and the philosophy of moderation and harmony with nature. Kun Lun disciples learn not just martial arts, but Taoist philosophy and science, music, chess, and similar intellectual arts. In other lands the Kun Lun would be considered heretics but since in the Han the Taoists predate the arrival of the Immaculate philosophy the Kun Lun are considered "orthodox", even by Immaculate sects like Shaolin and Emei.
• History: They claim to actually predate the founding of Shaolin and Emei, or even the foundation of the first empire in the Han lands; they claim to be over two thousand years old. Obviously this can't be verified but the records certainly support their claim to be older than any of the other currently existing sects of the Wulin. They also claim to have been founded by a society of Taoists who had achieved immortality through internal alchemy, and that after these founders ascended bodily to Heaven they have continued to look after the sect and check in on them from time to time over the centuries. This claim, there is little historical support for. They have always been based out of the Kun Lun mountains that they take their name from, although the exact location of their headquarters has moved every now and then.
• Attitudes:
  1. Beggar Sect: A much better sect than most of the rest of the Wulin gives them credit for. Hong's style is really great, and the sect is more organized than it looks.
  2. Emei: They need to get down off their high horse and realize Immaculism isn't the be-all end-all of things here in the Wulin.
  3. Evil Cult: Well, they are a heretic sect. Something will have to be done about them sooner or later.
  4. Marukani: The Kun Lun have been here centuries before the Marukani showed up and will be here centuries after they're gone. The tide of nations is like the rising and setting of the sun from a mountain's point of view.
  5. Shaolin: Their skills are truly mighty. They are definitely one of the leading sects.
  6. Wudang: Three Mountains Chang's reputation is great but their skills haven't been tested by time yet.

[edit] Shaolin Temple

• Leader: Shaolin is ruled in equal parts by the five current Grand Masters, the eldest Dragonblooded who have each mastered one of the Glorious Dragon Paths and are responsible for training the Exalted disciplines in them. These Masters are each Face 4 and they are: Master Clear (Air), Master Calm (Earth), Master Bright (Fire), Master Clean (Water) and Master Strong (Wood).
• Martial Arts: Five Dragon and Jade Mountain; plus training in the Exalted Immaculate Dragon styles is available to Dragon-blooded members. The Shaolin martial arts are famous above all for their overwhelming external power. It's said that even an un-Awakened Shaolin martial artist can shatter stones with a punch.
• Philosophy: Hardline Immaculism. Elements of applied Taoist science have worked their way into their curriculum but they reject the religious elements, being totally dedicated to Immaculate philosophy. They accept the fact, though, that not all other Wulin sects will be based around Immaculate philosophy.
• History: The Shaolin Monastery goes back hundreds of years in the history of the Han, to back when the Immaculate Order first established itself in the land of the Han. The Shaolin Monastery has long traditionally claimed the right to the lives of anyone born in Han who bears the blood of the Dragons. When Han children Terrestrially Exalt, they are sent to the monastery for training. Even under the Marukani regime, this practice continues without question. Female Dragonblooded are sent to Emei Abbey for training, since Han culture does not allow the sexes to mix in religious institutions.
• Attitudes:
  1. Beggar Sect: An acknowledged, full-fledged member of the Wulin.
  2. Emei: Our sister school, they are like a "little sister". Although they don't possess the full martial arts mastery of Shaolin, our ties are close.
  3. Evil Cult: We have existed for hundreds of years and cannot risk ourselves recklessly since we are the keystone of Immaculate tradition here in the Han. We would surely go to war to exterminate the Evil Cult if it were not for the fact that the highest priority is to see to our continuation. Definitely, they should be destroyed.
  4. Kun Lun: They have existed even since before our founding, we guess they will always have a place within the Han Wulin.
  5. Marukani: We have achieved a sort of uneasy peace with the Marukani. They allow us to continue taking all of the Exalted who are born within the Han (outside of the royal clan), in exchange for the tacit understanding that we will not lead the rest of the Wulin in revolt against them. Sooner or later this peace must give, though.
  6. Wudang: Our "little brothers". Three Mountains has made great achievements but of course that doesn't mean that the Wudang is the equal of Shaolin that gave birth to him.
  7. Yellow Scarves: Well, they are certainly heretics, but we would hold ourselves back from judgment. If they are truly evil, the Dragons will write their bad fate without us having to take action.

[edit] Wudang Clan

• Leader: Three Mountains Chang (Face 5), a former monk at Shaolin who left the monastery to travel, learn Taoism from hermits, invent his own martial arts style (Even Blade), and found his own school. Three Mountains is held in great esteem by other members of the Wulin for his creation of the Even Blade style - he is the only major sect leader to create his own style (the origins of Seafaring Hero are unknown but Zhang Bao never claimed to have created it), and Even Blade is widely considered to be an ingenious and excellent style, better than most. In addition, Chang is a wise, gentle and benevolent leader, and considered an exemplar of both Taoist and Immaculate philosophies.
• Martial Arts: Even Blade (the variant ending in Stumbling Inconvenience Attack) and Five Dragon. The martial arts of Wudang has a base in Chang's early Immaculate training and then branches out into Taoist-based swordplay. (The Taoist influence of Even Blade is obvious in the combination of five elements involved.) Wudang arts are deceptively gentle and soft-seeming, using subtle Essence manipulation instead of brute force, and reknowned above all else for their sword techniques.
• Philosophy: A mixture of Immaculism and Taoism. The disciples of the Wudang serve as priests to the surrounding community, for both Immaculate and Taoist ceremonies. Like many Han people they see no contradiction in offering the Immaculate services one day and propiation of local deities the next day. Although their martial arts are based in Taoist science, they consider Immaculism the highest of the moral codes, and for this reason they maintain continuing good relations with Shaolin and Emei.
• History: An offshoot that splintered from Shaolin about 80 years ago, it was founded by a mortal member of the Shaolin temple who wanted more freedom to experiment with mixing Taoist techniques into his originally Immaculate-developed martial arts. The Wudang serve as teachers and healers to the community around their monastery and have earned a reputation for benevolence, virtue, and honorable conduct. Due to their upstanding conduct, and the fact that their heresies (against Immaculism) stem only from pre-existing native Han beliefs, the common people view them quite favorably.
• Attitudes:
  1. Ancient Tomb: We don't know what goes on in there but living in a tomb is pretty creepy if you ask me.
  2. Beggar Sect: One shouldn't judge by appearances - these people look unclean but they are an upright sect that helps the people and is ready to fight against the Marukani.
  3. Emei: An upright sect in the Immaculate tradition, honored members of the Wulin culture.
  4. Evil Cult: A heretical sect that practices martial arts of unclean origin. A bad influence that should be avoided.
  5. Kun Lun: Despite their age they haven't contributed anything noteworthy to the Wulin within the span of remembered years. Sects should be judged by the level of the kung fu they can currently display.
  6. Marukani: The Marukani should be removed from the Han lands, but the first step in doing this is to unite the sects. Individual resistance is hopeless.
  7. Shaolin: The most honored sect in the Wulin, as we are an offshoot of Shaolin we should show them filial respect.
  8. Yellow Scarves: A heretical sect, but one that tries to serve the people. One should avoid too deep dealings with them and their heretical kung fu but there is no reason not to cooperate with them on causes that are just.

[edit] Yellow Scarves

• Leader: Zhang Bao (Face 3), who is known as the "General of Heaven", leads the Yellow Scarf Rebels. However, even though he leads the cult, he does not compete in the Wulin as a martial artist himself. He is a prophet who claims to have been bestowed the secrets of high Taoist sorcery by the Gods in order to bring peace to the Han. According to stories his mastery of Tao is so advanced that he can ride across the land on the stormwinds.
• Martial Arts: Seafaring Hero. Riverfaring Hero actually. The Yellow Scarves have bases up and down the Grey River and mostly fund themselves through piracy on river trade. The origin of this style is unknown, since Zhang Bao never claims to have invented it and in fact is rumored to not even have a complete mastery of it.
• Philosophy: The Yellow Scarves are a heretic cult that believes Zhang Bao and his brothers are destined by the will of Heaven to unite the land of Han. They call their religion "the Way of Peace", and they give worship to local Gods in Taoist fashion. They have communist political beliefs and believe once the Han are united under the Yellow Scarf rule all of the treasures of the wealthy will be redistributed amoung the people, and that all of the former social classes will be dissolved. This is a pretty radical philosophy and meets with strong negative reactions from, well, just about everyone in entrenched power structures.
• History: The Yellow Scarves originated in very recent times, with Zhang Bao as the first master of the cult. Zhang Bao claims to have met, while travelling in the mountains, an Immortal who bestowed on him a series of tomes called "The Way of Peace". Zhang Bao claims to have learned from the tomes the greatest secrets of Exalted sorcery, and using this secrets he became a healer. He spread the message of the Way of Peace amoung of his patients, bidding them to tell all they encountered of the miracles of the Way. Eventually his feats of healing gathered him enough of a following to become a full cult. For lack of any other way to support all of his followers, he turned them into pirates and bandits. Supposedly, though, when the Yellow Scarves have amassed enough power they will challenge the Marukani government itself for the rulership of the Han lands, and once they have won, they will transform the land into a communist paradise.
• Attitudes:
  1. Beggar Sect: If the truly fight for the common people of Han they should support our revolution. The fact that they don't makes us suspicious of their motives.
  2. Emei: Oh just screw them. They are worse than the Marukani. This kind of hide-bound orthodoxy is why the state of politics in the Han has never advanced in all these years.
  3. Evil Cult: They claim to want to protect the people of Han but what do they plan on doing once the Marukani have been thrown out. They are pretty quiet on that issue. If you ask me it will just be trading one tyranny for another.
  4. Marukani: We will overthrow the Marukani! Currently they are the single worst oppressor of the Han people.
  5. Shaolin: They are supposed to be the most enlightened sect in the Wulin. If so, why do they tolerate the Marukani?

[edit] Minor Sects

• Four Fiends: Not really a sect, these are just four people who have nothing to do with each other, really. But each one is famous for inventing their own personal style which is highly unorthodox and ill-reputed, so they are lumped together as a group as "those people who came up with such nasty kung fu" when people talk about famous masters in the Han area.
  1. Beast of East (Face 4): A former member of Evil Cult who was obsessed with duplicating the styles of the Four Kings. When they refused to teach him he become a hermit and lived alone in the mountains observing the animals, devising a new style based on their hunting techniques.
  2. North Witch (Face 3): The most mysterious of the Four Fiends, no one knows where her original training was from. Her unique style involves poison but is much more subtle than West Poison's - supposedly she can deliver a fatal blow so subtly that a victim doesn't even realize he's been attacked.
  3. South Sinner (Face 4): A former member of Beggar Sect who was thrown out for being too undisciplined and failing to carry out orders because he was drunk or high all the time. He supposedly developed a new martial arts style based around the movements of a drunkard. Or maybe that is just what he claims to explain away his staggering drunken clumsiness.
  4. West Poison (Face 4): A former member of Kun Lun who left the sect to develop his own style based around the manipulation of poisons. A great herbalist but supposedly highly mentally unstable and sometimes murderous.
• Sea Sand Gang: Pirates on the Grey River. They are lowly regarded and the few victories they have had in the Wulin are rumored to be due to poisoning their opponents before duels and matches. They have a very rudimentary understanding of Seafaring Hero.
• Sky Eagle Clan: A splinter off of the Evil Cult, founded by King of White Eagle after the head of Evil Cult was assassinated. They still maintain relations to Evil Cult and if a worthy successor to the former head is found they may rejoin the cult. Obviously, they retain some knowledge of Falling Blossom.